TV Ratings Surge During March Madness, Courtesy of Max Boost by Warner Bros. Discovery
NYC's Media Landscape Shakes Up in March
It's a new era for the media distributors, as Warner Bros. Discovery seized the limelight with a significant 3% surge in television viewership in March, surpassing its rivals. This impressive growth was mainly attributed to the enticing March Madness coverage on TBS, TNT, and truTV, offering a delightful blend of sports action and streaming accessibility on Max, drawing in a younger demographic.
Max, Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming platform, shined brightest among its peers in March, registering a commendable 6% growth. HBO's smashing hit, 'The White Lotus', and the debut of Max original series 'The Pitt', ignited a viewing frenzy, racking up 4.5 billion and 2.3 billion viewing minutes, respectively.
YouTube held onto its crown, securing a second consecutive month as the dominant media distributor with a 12.0% share of overall TV viewing. The streaming giant even surpassed its previous record of 11.6%, set just last month.
Disney followed closely behind, expanding its share by half a point, accounting for 10.5% of TV watch-time in March. The platform's success was fueled by the cross-platform simulcast of "The Oscars", "American Idol" comeback, and "ABC World News Tonight With David Muir"'s sustained popularity.
After a successful run of March Madness coverage on CBS and a robust drama lineup, Paramount claimed the No. 3 spot in the Media Distributor Gauge rankings for March. With a 0.3 share point increase, the platform garnered an 8.5% share of TV viewership.
While NBCU witnessed a slight 0.1 point dip in viewership, it climbed from the sixth place to the fourth, capturing 8% of TV viewing in March. Simultaneously, The Roku Channel marked a record, securing 2.2% of television viewing, according to Nielsen data.
The analyzed period stretched from February 24 to March 30, following the broadcast calendar's weekly measurement pattern.
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Although the latest Nielsen's Media Distributor Gauge report for March 2023 is unavailable, current data highlights YouTube's consistent growth and dominance in viewing shares. However, the precise growth rankings among streaming services for March 2023 remain undisclosed, as the requested information is not available in the available sources. For precise March 2023 growth rankings, you would need to consult Nielsen’s official Media Distributor Gauge reports from that year.
- The impressive growth of Warner Bros. Discovery's television viewership in March was primarily due to its coverage of March Madness on TBS, TNT, and truTV, which offered a blend of sports action and streaming accessibility on Max.
- Max, Warner Bros. Discovery's streaming platform, registered a commendable 6% growth, with hits like 'The White Lotus' and 'The Pitt' racking up significant viewing minutes.
- YouTube maintained its dominance in the media landscape, securing a 12.0% share of overall TV viewing for a second consecutive month, surpassing its previous record.
- Disney followed closely behind, expanding its share by half a point, accounting for 10.5% of TV watch-time in March, driven by cross-platform successes like the Oscars, American Idol, and ABC World News Tonight With David Muir.
- Paramount climbed to the No. 3 spot in the Media Distributor Gauge rankings for March, with a 0.3 share point increase, attributed to the success of its March Madness coverage and drama lineup.
